Collapsible bin



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United States Patent O 3,392,863 COLLAPSIBLE BIN Basil Jennens, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, assignor to Crown Zellerbach Canada Limited, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, a corporation of Canada Filed July 21, 1966, Ser. No. 566,977 7 Claims. (Cl. 217-12) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A rectangular collapsible bin wherein the side walls are connected at two diagonally opposite corners by hinge plates. At the other two diagonally opposite corners, the side walls are detachably connected from each other by interengaging brackets. A rst bracket carried by one side wall has an upwardly opening slot, and a second bracket carried by the other side wall has a downwardly opening slot for the slots to be interengaged. A shoulder extending partially across the mouth of the slot on the second bracket serves as an abutment for an edge of the lirst bracket precluding relative vertical movement of the brackets when the bin is filled.

This invention relates to bins, and, more particularly, to a bin which can be collapsed into a compact arrangement for storage purposes, in which the components can be very quickly assembled.

Summarizing the invention, it comprises a bottom panel, and a plurality of panels for providing side walls upstanding from the bottom panel. Desirably, the bin is of generally rectangular cross-sectional shape and two sets of adjacent walls are hingedly connected together at adjacent corners with the other adjacent corners being provided with means for detachably connecting them together in such manner that the pressure of the contents of the bin will securely maintain the walls in position. Also, means is provided for releasably mounting the side walls in upstanding relationship on the bottom panel. Thus, as a result, the components can be quickly assembled and disassembled.

From the preceding, it is thus seen that the invention has as its objects, among others, the provision of an irnproved collapsible bin of economical and simple construction which can be quickly assembled and disassembled for storage, and which is provided with special means for latching the side walls securely together and facilitating such connection and disconnection. Other objects of the invention, among others, will be apparent from a perusal of the following more detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE l is a perspective exploded view illustrating the bin walls in spaced relationship to the bottom panel.

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view with portions of the structure broken away to shorten the view.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary vertical section taken in a plane indicated by the line 3-3 in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary vertical section taken in a plane indicated by line 4--4 in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken in a plane indicated by line 5-5 in FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary isometric view of one of a pair of bracket plates for detachably connecting a pair of adjacent bin walls together.

FIGURE 7 is a view similar to FIGURE 6 of another bracket plate, adapted to interengage with the plate of FIGURE 6; the view illustrates in phantom lines the interengagement with the FIGURE 6 bracket plate.

With reference to FIGURE 1, which illustrates the over-all bin arrangement, the bin comprises a bottom panel 1, desirably made of laminated plywood and a 3,392,863 Patented July 16, 1968 Fice plurality of beams 2, desirably of wood, which are lixedly secured to the bottom of panel 1. Such beams are spaced apart with the ends of the beams projecting beyond opposite side edges 3 and 4 or panel 1 and the outermost beams projecting beyond the other opposite edges. Such arrangement provides shoulders 5 along all the margins ofthe bottom panel for supporting the side Walls of the bin which telescope over the side edges of the bottom panel when the bin is assembled. Spaces 5 between the beams 2 enable the tines of a lift fork (not shown) to be inserted beneath bottom panel 1 when it is desired to transport the entire bin by a lift truck, or the like.

Also, the bin is desirably of rectangular cross-section, having a pair of hingedly connected side walls 6 and 7, desirably of laminated plywood; hinges 8 being provided at the corners of such side walls to connect such side walls 6 and 7 for outward pivoted movement so that they may be collapsed. The other pair of side walls 9 and 10 are similarly connected by hinges 11 at the diagonally opposite corner of the bin. Special bracket latching means to be subsequently described in detail is provided for detachably connecting the side walls together at the remaining diagonally opposite corners.

For preventing disengagement of the side walls from bottom panel 1 when the side walls are assembled thereon in a manner to be described, angle brackets 12 are secured adjacent the lower edges of a pair of opposite side walls 6 and 10; the lower legs 13 of brackets 12 being adapted to removably engage or hook loosely under bottom panel 1, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. When the legs 13 are so hooked, the side walls of the bin are releasably mounted in upstanding relationship to bottom panel 1.

Each plywood side wall is advantageously reinforced on its outer edges by wood slats 14, preferably of hardwood; the vertical beams at the non-hinged corners of the walls terminating short of the upper and lower edges of such walls to accommodate pairs of cooperating latching bracket plates 15 and 15 which are secured directly to the walls by bolts 16.

Such brackets 15 and 15 are of a special construction enabling quick detachable connection of the side walls of the bin, and quick removal for disconnecting the side walls for storage purposes when desired. Moreover, their construction is such that they preclude disengagement of the side Walls by the outer pressure exerted against such side walls by the contents ofthe bin.

For such purpose, it will be noted with reference to i FIGS. 3, 6 and 7 that one of the bracket plates 15 has an upwardly opening slot 16, and that the other cooperating bracket plate 15 of each pair has a downwardly opening slot 17. Slot 17 is formed along one edge with an inwardly extending shoulder 18, and the width indicated by dimension A of such slot 17 between the shoulder 18 and the inner edge 19 is greater than the width of bracket plate 15'; and such distance between the shoulder 18 and the inner end 19 of the slot on bracket plate 15 is slightly greater, about SAE, although such dimension is not critical, than the distance B between the inner end of slot 16' in bracket 15' and the lower edge, or edge opposite from the edge having the slot, of such bracket 15 whereby when the bracket plates are interengaged slight spaces, indicated by 20 in FIGURE 3, are provided between the bracket plates, thus providing a loose lit enabling the bracket plates to be quickly and easily interengaged with the bottom of bracket plate 15 positioned over latching shoulder 18. As mentioned previously, the lower legs 13 of brackets 12 removably engage or hook loosely under the bottom panel 1. This is so the side walls can be disassembled from the bottom panel by inward pressure on the wall 10 and plate 15 and upward movement of the wall 7 and 4plate 15 after the bin has been emptied.

The Width between the edge of shoulder 18 and the edge 21 of slot 17 is slightly in excess but substantially equal to the thickness of bracket plate 15 so as to enable a slidable snap ht between the bracket plates when they are interengaged but to preclude accidental disengagement thereof when they are interlatched and the bin does not contain contents. To facilitate interengagement of the bracket plate, an outwardly slanting camming surface 22 extends from shoulder 18 to the lower edge of bracket plate 15.

Thus, when the bracket plates 15 and 15 are interengaged, bracket plate 15 tits with a loose fit within slot 17, providing suflicient play for facilitating interengagement; and when the bin contains contents, the pressure of the contents outwardly will maintain the bracket plates securely latched with plate 15 over shoulder 18.

Because of the above described play, and because the pairs of bracket plates 15 and 15 are spaced apart and are only adjacent the upper and lower edges on the corner of the side Walls, fitting of the plates to interengage them is also facilitated which would not otherwise occur if detachable connecting means extended along the entire length of such corner.

I claim:

l. A collapsible bin comprising a bottom panel, a plurality of panels for providing bin side walls, and means connecting said side walls together in releasable upstanding relationship from the bottom panel; said means for connecting said walls together including bracket means for detachably connecting at least one pair of adjacent walls together, said bracket means comprising a first bracket plate iixedly attached to one wall of said pair, and a second bracket plate tixedly attached to the other adjacent wall of said pair, said iirst bracket plate having a first slot open at the upper edge thereof, and said second bracket plate having a second slot open at the lower edge thereof, each of said slots being suiciently wide throughout the entire length thereof whereby said brackets can be interengaged by receiving said second bracket plate in said rst slot and receiving said first bracket plate in said second slot, an edge of one of said slots having an inwardly projecting shoulder adjacent the open end thereof, said shoulder being located a first predetermined distance from the inner end of said one of said slots, the other of said slots having an inner end terminating a second predetermined distance short of the bracket edge opposite the open edge of its associated bracket, said second predetermined distance being shorter than said first predetermined distance,and the width of the slot with the shoulder between the shoulder and the inner end of such slot being greater than the width of such slot at the shoulder for said shoulder to preclude disengagement of said brackets when said brackets are engaged and outward pressure is exerted on the walls by the contents of the bin.

2. The bin of claim 1 wherein said shoulder is on said second bracket plate.

3. The bin of claim 1 wherein an outwardly slanting camming surface extends from said shoulder to the lower edge of said bracket plate having said shoulder to facilitate interengagernent of said bracket plates.

4. The bin of claim 1 wherein said bottom panel is supported on spaced beams, ends of said beams projecting beyond first opposite edges of the bottom panel and sides of the outermost beams projecting beyond second opposite edges of the bottom panel to provide shoulders for supporting the side walls of the bin.

5. The bin of claim 4 wherein angle brackets are secured to opposite side walls and removably hook under said bottom panel to prevent inadvertent disengagement of said side walls from said bottom panel.

6. The bin of claim 1 wherein the bin is rectangular and the bracket means are on two pairs of adjacent walls at each of diagonally opposed corners of the bin and other diagonally opposed corners have hinge connections connecting the walls together and enabling said walls to be collapsed.

7. The bin of claim 6 wherein the bracket means at each corner includes two rst bracket plates spaced apart and adjacent both the top and the bottom of one wall of the bin and two second bracket plates on an adjacent wall interengageable respectively with the two rst bracket plates.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,726,095 12/1955 Emery. 2,890,809 6/1959 Poley. 3,085,706 4/1963 Rawle 217-48 3,203,612 8/1965 Schaefer 217-31 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,178,431 12/ 1958 France,

RAPHAEL H. SCHWARTZ, Primary Examiner. 

